ALEXANDRIA, Va. and NEEDHAM, Mass., March 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy ( JOSPT) and The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery ( JBJS) have together published a Special Report today entitled It Takes a Team: Working Together Works for Patients. This unique effort to highlight multidisciplinary integration and continuity of care for the betterment of patient outcomes in orthopaedics is being distributed to JBJS and JOSPT subscribers, but is of interest to all healthcare professionals and patients alike. It is also available to be downloaded at no cost through either journal.

The stories in this Special Report detail how collaborations among orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists, and other clinicians—including physician assistants, nurses, and physiatrists--have improved outcomes, gotten patients back on their feet faster, and reduced complications. The settings are as diverse as the clinical teams involved – military hospitals, university sports-medicine departments, academic medical centers, and private group practices.

Cases include:

The triumphant University of Wisconsin quarterback who led his team to the Rose Bowl after three knee reconstructions

A West Point cadet whose leg—and military career—were saved by quick, collaborative decision making

The collaborative redesign of joint replacement procedures at a major Boston teaching hospital that resulted in two very different experiences for one patient

The return to active duty of two seriously injured Special Forces service men thanks to three-way collaboration between surgeons, physical therapists, and prosthetist

How an active eight grader had her painful hip problem solved with four physical therapy visits rather than surgery because of collaboration among a surgeon, physiatrist and physical therapist

Surgeons and physical therapists collaborating to develop concrete criteria for when ACL surgery is indicated (Norwegian School of Sport Sciences ) and post-ACL rehab milestones ( University of Pittsburgh)

How surgeons at a private orthopaedic practice communicate long distance with physical therapists who treat postsurgical patients in distant locations

The full text of the report can be found here: sites.jbjs.org/ittakesateam and jospt.org/ittakesateam